Han van Meegeren, the foremost forger of the 20th century, is the subject of Andrew Graham-Dixon’s film THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE NETHERLANDSFor full TV listings for the week, see thetimes.co.uk/tvplannerViewing guide, by Joe ClayVan Meegeren: The Forger Who Fooled the NazisBBC Four, 9pmAndrew Graham-Dixon is at a small art exhibition in Aachen, Germany, called Thrill of Deception, shining his tiny torch on a painting that was once thought to be by the great Dutch master Johannes Vermeer; an early work from his little known religious period, showing Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery. However, the title of the exhibition is an obvious clue to the provenance of this artwork painted using a mixture of oils and Bakelite, the same plastic substance used to make 1940s telephones. “It’s an outrageous fake,” the effusive art critic exclaims. “It’s the culmination of what I…

Source: The Times October 08, 2019 22:52 UTC